Oklahoma State rising sophomore wrestler Clayton Foster won the freestyle bronze medal in the 96 kg weight class at the 2008 FILA Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey Saturday.

Foster started his run to the podium with a 1-0, 1-2, 4-2 win over Turkey’s Mustafa Ozdemir in the first round. He followed that up with a 1-0, 2-0 sweep of Simas Norkus of Lithuania. Ukrainian Shamil Dibirov handed Foster a 3-0, 3-1 defeat in the semifinals to bump the Cowboy into the consolation bracket where he bounced back in dominating fashion to claim a 7-0, 4-0 win over Iraq’s Suhail Mohammed to place third.

“Going out and competing at the junior worlds was a good experience that helped me a lot,” Foster said. “This was my first time ever competing on the world level so when I first started, I was really nervous. I kept telling myself that I can do this and at the end of the tournament, I looked back and kept thinking that I could have done better by eliminating a couple mistakes.”

Foster earned his spot on the U.S. Junior World Team by rolling through his bracket at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado this past May.

He returns to Stillwater as a key member of John Smith’s Cowboys. As a true freshman in 2007-08, Foster compiled a 22-11 overall record that included an 8-8 mark in dual competition. With 40 takedowns last season, he ranked second on the team, trailing only All-American Nathan Morgan.

“Going out and competing at an event like this has definitely given me a confidence boost for the coming season with OSU and I’m excited for it,” Foster said.